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A new mobile emergency alert system is to start operating by the end of 2011 in New York and Washington, D.C., in advance of a nationwide rollout in April. The Personal Localized Alerting Network will supplement the nation's radio- and TV-based Emergency Alert System.

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With power out ahead of last week's deadly storms, many Alabamians relied on text message alerts from Global Security Systems' Alert FM, which sends warnings to any mobile device with the software. "I know we saved a lot of folks because they saw the posts on our Facebook page," Cox Media's David Dubose said. "Many people called our stations to say their power was off at their home due to the storms early on Wednesday morning before the killer tornadoes even touched down."